In Peru, highway paving could be mixed blessing, say church workers

Published: 2006-04-25

PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru (CNS) -- The paving of a highway from the Brazilian border through this jungle town and over the Andes to Peru's desert coast is likely to be a mixed blessing for the people -- and wildlife -- along the route. For years, the road known as the Interoceanic Highway has been dusty in the dry season and boggy, bordering on impassible, when the rains come. An emergency trip to the hospital in Cusco, high in the mountains more than 300 miles away, can take several days in the rainy season. The only alternative is to travel by plane, a prohibitive expense for most local residents. Four years from now, when paving is scheduled to be complete, the trip to Cusco should take less than a day. Government officials and local business owners hope that the road will spur development in the tropical Madre de Dios department in southeastern Peru. But environmentalists, including some church workers, warn that the impact of the paved road could be devastating long-term.

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